Solve the radical equation. Check for extraneous solutions. b+14−−−−−√=5b−14−−−−−−√ (1 point) b =

1 answer

To solve the radical equation \( \sqrt{b + 14} = \sqrt{5b - 14} \), we will start by squaring both sides of the equation to eliminate the square roots.

\[ \left( \sqrt{b + 14} \right)^2 = \left( \sqrt{5b - 14} \right)^2 \]

This simplifies to:

\[ b + 14 = 5b - 14 \]

Next, we'll rearrange the equation to isolate \( b \):

\[ 14 + 14 = 5b - b \]

Which simplifies to:

\[ 28 = 4b \]

Now, divide both sides by 4 to solve for \( b \):

\[ b = \frac{28}{4} = 7 \]

Now that we have a solution, we need to check for any extraneous solutions by substituting \( b = 7 \) back into the original equation:

Original equation:

\[ \sqrt{b + 14} = \sqrt{5b - 14} \]

Substituting \( b = 7 \):

Left side:

\[ \sqrt{7 + 14} = \sqrt{21} \]

Right side:

\[ \sqrt{5(7) - 14} = \sqrt{35 - 14} = \sqrt{21} \]

Both sides are equal, which confirms that \( b = 7 \) is a valid solution.

Thus, the solution to the radical equation is:

\[ \boxed{7} \]